Keeping a watch for Medicare fraud is good public policy

At a time when everyone in Wash- ington is talking about the need to cut government expenditures while protecting vital programs, such as Medicare, there’s a nationwide campaign to remind people on Medicare that there is something they can do on both fronts.

That something is be alert to the various possibilities of Medicare fraud.

In Ohio, the message is being delivered by the lieutenant governor, Mary Taylor, who is also director of the Department of Insurance.

Fraudulent enterprises rob billions of dollars from Medicare each year, dollars that come out of taxpayer pockets and that are necessary to provide legitimate medical services to deserving recipients.

Taylor provides these examples of Medicare Fraud:

A health-care provider billing Medicare for services that were never delivered.

A supplier billing Medicare for equipment that is never received.

Someone using another person’s Medicare card to get medical care or equipment.

A person billing Medicare for home medical equipment after it has been returned.

An insurance agent engaging in questionable practices, such as forging paperwork and switching a clients’ plan without their knowledge.

The official U.S. government site devoted to Medicare fraud suggests that anyone who suspects they or Medicare is being charged improperly should take a few steps before filing a fraud report. First contact the provider and ask for an explanation. Many errors can be corrected with a call to the doctor, hospital or other provider of supplier. Double check dates on which service is claimed and be alert to double billing. Two bills are sometimes legitimate, such as when one bill covers the cost of an X-ray and a second bill covers the charge for reading the X-ray,

There are also proactive things people can do to protect against Medicare fraud or abuse.

Among those are:

Walk away if approached in parking lots, shopping centers, or other public areas by someone offering free services, groceries, transportation, or other items in exchange for your Medicare number.

Hang up the phone if someone calls claiming to be conducting a health survey and asks for your Medicare number.

Don’t give your information to telephone marketers who claim to be from Medicare or Social Security and ask for payment over the phone or Internet.

Do not sign any paperwork until you have a trusted advisor confirm the product will meet your needs.

Check medical bills, summary notices, explanations of benefits, and credit reports for irregularities.

Be on the lookout for high pressure sales tactics: When selling Medicare products, agents cannot collect your contact information unless they have your permission, sell policies door-to-door, or send unsolicited emails.

Medicare recipients and family members who help them with their bills can do themselves and the nation a service by being alert.